National Physical Laboratory boosts research with new Alcatel-Lucent network

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s centre of scientific research and the development of measurement standards, has completed a major network upgrade with Alcatel-Lucent to aid research.

Antony Savvas
January 30, 2014

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The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the UK’s centre of scientific research and the development of measurement standards, has completed a major network upgrade with Alcatel-Lucent to aid research.

Since it was established in 1900, NPL and its scientists have been responsible for the invention of radar, the world's first caesium atomic clock and packet switching technology. Alan Turing, the wartime Enigma code cracker, also produced one of the first designs for a stored-programme computer whilst at NPL.

To meet the demands of NPL's scientific environment the communications network needed to accommodate a growing amount of data, increasing volumes of files being shared, and the future growth of its laboratories.

The new network enhanced the laboratory's existing infrastructure to include a 10Gbps IT backbone that supports 700 employees and visitors with 3,500 wired end points in laboratories and offices. The solution also provides power over ethernet (PoE) capability and a wireless network in communal and meeting areas.

Included in the deployment is Alcatel-Lucent's stackable Gigabit ethernet switch, the OmniSwitch 65850E, at the edge of the network, and the OmniSwitch 6900 at the core, which is designed to provide streamlined operations, automated control and a resilient architecture.

Claire Moore, head of IT at The National Physical Laboratory, said: “This new network is setting up the National Physical Laboratory for the future, by providing capacity for the large amounts of data produced in the research we undertake.

"We now have a more reliable network which includes 3,500 end points for use by 700 staff. We will see even more benefits as time goes on, as this is a project completed with the needs of future research in mind."